Hope, of Brea, now sees the possibility of using some of those senior hours as a stand-up comic.

He and other would-be performers auditioned at the club Wednesday for the chance to do comedy for senior audiences.

"I saw this as an opportunity," said Hope, a Vietnam veteran and cancer survivor who performed comedy and acted in the Midwest 30 years ago. "These people who are seniors now were my audience 30 years ago. I knew what they responded to then so they should be the same now."

The comedy shows are being organized by Bonnie Schachter-Barchichat, 58, of Fountain Valley, who publishes medical journals geared toward the age group.

About 10 would-be comics auditioned and Schachter-Barchichat will choose three or four to perform afternoo shows at the Brea Improv in December.

Those who auditioned had to be at least 55. Schachter-Barchichat looked for performers who could connect with an older audience.

"I've got a 91-year old mother who is funny but I can't take her to comedy clubs because the comedy is un-relatable," she said.

If the Brea shows draw audiences, Schachter-Barchichat hopes to stage the shows at other comedy venues.

The publisher has gotten word out to senior centers, retirement communities, casting agencies and media outlets.

FROM A SPECIAL IRVINE EDITION OF THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER!Click to enter the date and a brief description of this news article or press release. You may want to include an excerpt from the article or a sentence or two about the publication in which the story appeared. To link the article title to another web site or document, select the title and click the "Link" button in your editing toolbar.

Feb 21, 2012

She wants seniors to be proud of laugh lines

﻿BY ANNIE KIM / For the View

By the time Bonnie Barchichat was 26, she had been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Women's Wear Daily, Vogue and other publications for her creations, which included pet passports, individually wrapped floss packets, pocket reference journals and a breakfast delivery service.

Today, at 59, the Fountain Valley resident has found a new project called Senior Comedy Afternoons, which are comedy shows geared toward seniors, or boomers, as she likes to call them.

Bonnie Barchichat with Dick Van Dyke during a 2004 CHOC Follies show in which she performed as Ethel Merman.

She is producing her 12th show on March 11 at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach.

After taking her mother to a comedy show a couple of years ago and finding that her mother didn't enjoy the show, Barchichat decided to start her own branch of comedy shows. She produced her first show in December 2010.

Comedians such "The Wrinkled Rebel" Marty Ross, "It's the Hair" Mel Kohl and Henrietta the "Senior Dating Specialist" are some of the comedians set to appear in the March show. They address issues relevant to a more mature audience, Barchichat said.

The shows expose what it's like to age and address maladies that come with aging, including illness, dating troubles and challenges relating to a younger generation, Barchichat said.

One of the headliners for the upcoming show said he got his start in comedy much later in life than most comics.

"I became a comedian when I was 65," Ross said. "I realized that getting old sucked, and I needed to warn people."

Some of the comedians featured in Senior Comedy Afternoons have been in the business for more than 20 years and have worked in comedy clubs across the country.

"I'm in my early 60s, and I'm an expert on men, dating and sex," Henrietta said. "However, I tell (my audience) if they try any of my tips, I'm not liable."

Life is too short, and seniors need to go out there and grab it, she said.

"We have such an emphasis on youth in this country," Barchichat said. "We don't embrace aging, and we want to cover it up with plastic surgery or pretend it doesn't happen."

Barchichat was born and raised in Flushing Queens, N.Y., and said she grew a love for theater early on when her mother, who was in the Queens College Orchestra Society, would take her to the theater in the city.

When they couldn't afford it, she would sneak in, she said.

During the 1970s, Barchichat, then Bonnie Schachter, was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal for her Breakfast from Tiffany's venture that delivered a breakfast in bed, complete with a delivery woman dressed in a french maid's outfit, she said.

The idea came to her from the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and the business name got her into some trouble the jewelry company Tiffany & Co., she said.

The breakfast delivery service, whose name eventually was changed, is just one of the many business ventures Barchichat has been involved with in the past 30-some years.

In the 1980s, Barchichat sold a series of pet greeting cards called the Litterary Pet and created pet passports so owners could document vaccines, diets, illnesses and other aspects of their pets' lives.

The passports gave way to children's health journals, which she eventually sold to Tylenol, she said.

Barchichat said she was in the pocket-reference-journal business for almost 25 years and sold more than 5 million journals to hospitals in the United States and around the world.

"I've always had niche-marketing interests," Barchichat said. "We all have different interest and tastes. Why give anything in general when we're all interested in different things?"

Senior Comedy Afternoons is addressing a niche market Barchichat said many ignore. It seems like it's mostly the pharmaceutical companies that address the senior market, and the entertainment field disregards it, she said.

"Bonnie is a ball of fire," the comedian Henrietta said. "She saw a gap in the comedy world for ages 60 and up and created a niche that seniors can relate to."

Seniors tend to avoid comedy clubs for several reasons but mostly because the material is hard to relate to, clubs are open late, and it's usually a lot of young guys swearing, she said.

OMG!! We made the Front Page! of the Fountain Valley View! Home Turf!

Mom and I make Front Page News.. The story in the ensuing pages is an abridged version of the one above..So..

if you read that one.. No worries! You just know sometimes when you have a good idea if it's worth pursuing!

Mom was the motivating factor.. and I knew it was what I had to do next!

The Orange County Register March 1, 2011

Fountain Valley woman gears comedy to seniors

FOUNTAIN VALLEY By the time Bonnie Barchichat was 26, she had been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Women's Wear Daily, Vogue and other publications for her creations, which included pet passports, individually wrapped floss packets, pocket reference journals and a breakfast delivery service.

Today, at 59, the Fountain Valley resident has found a new project called Senior Comedy Afternoons, which are comedy shows geared toward seniors, or boomers, as she likes to call them.

She is producing her 12th show on March 11 at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach.

After taking her mother to a comedy show a couple of years ago and finding that her mother didn't enjoy the show, Barchichat decided to start her own branch of comedy shows. She produced her first show in December 2010.

"The Wrinkled Rebel" Marty Ross, "It's the Hair" Mel Kohl and Henrietta the "Senior Dating Specialist" are some of the comedians set to appear in the upcoming show. They address issues relevant to a more mature audience, Barchichat said.

The shows expose what it's like to age and address maladies that come with aging, including illness, dating troubles and challenges relating to a younger generation, Barchichat said.

One of the headliners for the upcoming show said he got his start in comedy much later in life than most comics.

"I became a comedian when I was 65," Ross said. "I realized that getting old sucked, and I needed to warn people."

Some of the comedians featured in Senior Comedy Afternoons have been in the business for more than 20 years and have worked in comedy clubs across the country.

"I'm in my early 60s, and I'm an expert on men, dating and sex," Henrietta said. "However, I tell (my audience) if they try any of my tips, I'm not liable."

Life is too short, and seniors need to go out there and grab it, she said.

"We have such an emphasis on youth in this country," Barchichat said. "We don't embrace aging, and we want to cover it up with plastic surgery or pretend it doesn't happen."

Barchichat was born and raised in Flushing Queens, N.Y., and said she grew a love for theater early on when her mother, who was in the Queens College Orchestra Society, would take her to the theater in the city.

When they couldn't afford it, she would sneak in, she said.

During the 1970s, Barchichat, then Bonnie Schachter, was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal for her Breakfast from Tiffany's venture that delivered a breakfast in bed, complete with a delivery woman dressed in a French maid's outfit, she said.

The idea came to her from the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and the business name got her into some trouble with the jewelry company Tiffany & Co., she said.

The breakfast delivery service, whose name eventually was changed, is just one of the many business ventures Barchichat has been involved with in the past 30-some years.

In the 1980s, Barchichat sold a series of pet greeting cards called the Litterary Pet and created pet passports so owners could document vaccines, diets, illnesses and other aspects of their pets' lives.

The passports gave way to children's health journals, which she eventually sold to Tylenol, she said.

Barchichat said she was in the pocket-reference-journal business for almost 25 years and sold more than 5 million journals to hospitals in the United States and around the world.

"I've always had niche-marketing interests," Barchichat said. "We all have different interest and tastes. Why give anything in general when we're all interested in different things?"

Senior Comedy Afternoons is addressing a niche market Barchichat said many ignore. It seems like it's mostly the pharmaceutical companies that address the senior market, and the entertainment field disregards it, she said.

"Bonnie is a ball of fire," the comedian Henrietta said. "She saw a gap in the comedy world for ages 60 and up and created a niche that seniors can relate to."

Seniors tend to avoid comedy clubs for several reasons but mostly because the material is hard to relate to, clubs are open late, and it's usually a lot of young guys swearing, she said.

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTERMay 14, 2012

By LOU PONSI /

MOMS LAUGH THE DAY AWAY

'MOMMIEDIANS' TELL THEIR SIDE OF THE FAMILY STORIES

Newport Show features humor geared for the appreciation of Seniors, Boomers

NEWPORT BEACH – On the day in which mothers everywhere are celebrated, Julie Kid of Placentia, a single mom of three, offers up the key to raising the trio of youngsters on her own."A lot of love ... a lot of patience ... and a little wine," she says. "Just kidding ... a lot of wine!"

Comedian Monica Piper performs during the Mother's Day "Momma-thon" at Tapas in Newport Beach, an all mom cast. "I choose motherhood late in life with the optimistic premise that by the time he hates me i'll be dead," she said.

MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Kid, a self-proclaimed "dysfunctional mom," was one of four stand-up comics – all mothers – who lightheartedly bemoaned the institution of motherhood Sunday in front of audience of mothers and grandmothers at Tapas in Newport Beach.Dubbed "A Momma-Thon," the show was organized Bonnie Barchichat of Fountain Valley, who also hosts Senior Comedy Afternoons at OC venues, billed as "comedy that seniors and baby boomers can relate to."So in addition to roasting the moms, much of the humor Sunday was aimed at those in the audience in their golden years."I chose motherhood late in life with the optimistic premise that by the time he (my son) hates me, I'll be dead," Emmy Award winning comedian Monica Piper said.Comedian Cindy Burns of Irvine, who calls herself "the anti-aging housewife, cautioned against teaching senior mothers how to use email."Don't give your mom e-mail," said Burns. "I did it so she wouldn't call me so much ... So now she calls me to see if I got her email."Burns and Kid, incidentally, also perform in a comedy troupe dubbed Funniest Housewives of Orange County, who perform at comedy clubs throughout the Southland.Marilyn Littrell, 79, of Garden Grove, who was treated to Sunday's show by her two daughters, couldn't have come up with a better way to spend her special day."I just consider myself the luckiest mother in the world," said Littrell, mother of three. "But what mother doesn't think that?"Contact the writer: Contact the writer: lponsi@ocregister.com or 714-704-3730

THE LOS ANGELES TIMESMay 27, 2012

by Matt Stevens

Marty Ross trudged toward the front of the restaurant, one deliberate pace at a time. A maze of tightly packed tables and chairs stood between him and the stage, demanding careful navigation from the 72-year-old. So when he finally arrived at the microphone after several seconds of silence, the comedian nicknamed "the wrinkled rebel" sounded relieved. And slightly out of breath.

He opened with a joke:

"It's a long walk from over there," Ross said, about 20 feet from his starting point.

More than 100 seniors in the audience exploded in laughter, nodding in agreement. Some clutched walkers at their sides, others sat in wheelchairs. A few had bumped their heads on the way in the door. They all understood Ross' joke.

For a few hours at Senior Comedy Afternoon inside Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach, aging was funny.

"Just being old is a laugh," said audience member and local resident Eileen Aaron-Sacherman, 84.

And laugh the elders did.

They laughed at comedian Mel Kohl, 55, who complained about voice-automated phone systems.

"The worst is 4-1-1," he said. "They say, 'Please say city and state.' I say, 'Downey, California,' and she says, 'Denver, Colorado'!"

They chuckled at his colleague Anita Cheek Milner, 76, who bemoaned the indignities of shopping.

"I can go into an antique store and remember everything," she said.

And they cracked up at Ross, who covered topics including memory loss, spoiled grandchildren and treacherous roadways.

"Anyone drive behind an old person recently?" he asked. "Lots of fun, isn't it? I just want to say I'm sorry, I don't know how this happened. I look down at my dashboard and I'm going 6. And I think, 'I should slow down!'"

It's comedy for seniors, by seniors, and while the sun is still up. No profanity, no raunchy talk, just old-school, G-rated humor for people who say their brand of entertainment is in short supply these days.

Ronel Leonard, 71, adds another dimension to the disconnect some seniors feel.

"Most comedians are talking about current events and young people," Leonard said. "Most of it doesn't have anything to do with me."

Why the shift in values?

"Comedy hasn't changed a bit," Leonard conceded. "But we have."

So the jokesters did their best to keep it clean and provide a few hours in which seniors could revel in old age rather than worry about its consequences.

The show rotates venues; the March program was hosted by Don the Beachcomber, a Hawaiian-themed restaurant that resembles a giant version ofDisneyland'sEnchanted Tiki Room. Previous shows have been held at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and the Improv at the Irvine Spectrum.

For $38.50 a person, the seniors sipped iced tea and enjoyed a simple meal of time-tested dishes like chopped salad, clam chowder, grilled salmon and two scoops of ice cream before the show began.

Giving seniors such an afternoon out was the goal for producer Bonnie Barchichat, 59. The Fountain Valley woman got the idea after taking her now 92-year-old mother to an improv show in Irvine.

"She just hated it," Barchichat recalled. "The comedian was filthy and the humor just wasn't getting to her. I was embarrassed for my mother.... And it stuck with me."

So after a stint working as a producer to help her niece, Barchichat decided to put on a show herself. Her first Senior Comedy Afternoon hit the stage in December 2010 in part as a service to older people like her mother. Her recentMother's Dayshow was the sixth of 12 her mother has attended.

But catering to this age group isn't easy. Barchichat said some businesses "don't believe in the senior marketplace" and won't open up venues for senior-targeted events. Then there's the problem of finding age-appropriate talent.

"Seniors are not going to laugh at anything that isn't really funny," Barchichat said. "They're not drunk. It's going to have to be something you will be able to relate to. You really need to be able to reach into your gut and make them laugh."

Data from the2010 U.S. censusestimates there are more than 1 million people 65 or older in Los Angeles County and 350,000 more in Orange County. That number is likely to double by 2030, experts say.

"We're not big enough to serve them all," said James Don of the Los Angeles Department of Aging.

Don and others, including Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Longevity Center, call the coming years a "challenge." Small said it is "critically important" that seniors get out of the house, adding that "aging is not for sissies."

"We have a culture that is focused toward youth, and that is changing to some extent," Small said. "There are 80 million baby boomers that are starting to turn age 65. So there's more programs, more interest."

Playing off that interest, even Barchichat's raffle prizes and programming were selected with seniors in mind. One won a "never-fail hearing enhancer" (a megaphone); and before the comedians even hit the stage, Barchichat honored each person celebrating a birthday in recent weeks with a paper crown and a flower.

When all the names had been called, the 139 seniors sang "Happy Birthday" in unison — at least for the moment, eager to celebrate the passing of another year.

June 22, 2014 Feature Story in the Daily Breeze and the Long Beach Press Telegram

Bonnie Barchichat has always known that her mother, Yetta Schachter, had a tremendous sense of humor. Parties her mom gave after the symphony for her fellow musicians back in New York were filled with funny stories and laughter, something that enchanted young Bonnie.

So after the family moved to California, the grown-up daughter took her mom to a comedy club, figuring she would enjoy it. But something odd happened.

“My mother wasn’t laughing,” Barchichat said.

She realized her mother, then in her late 80s, could not relate to the youngish stand-up comics with gritty routines and foul language, nor the loud, heavy drinking crowd that populates some comedy venues.

That gave her an idea.

“Comedy is not just for the young,” Barchichat decided. This thought led to her founding a “funny” business providing laughter and music for the over-50 crowd.

It’s stand-up comedy, tap dancing, singing, a nice lunch, and a chance to buy a special cocktail, where one is surrounded by people wearing funny hats handing flowers to audience members who are celebrating their birthdays. It is a chance to get out of the house but not have to travel too far or be out after dark. It is hearing the music they have loved all their lives, meeting new people their own age and understanding — and enjoying — the jokes aimed at their lives and surroundings.

Senior humor from Anita Milner: “I’m not alone. I am pretty sure my 19-year-old grandson lives with me. All my food is gone and I can’t find the car.”

Barchichat has put on 24 “Senior Comedy Afternoons” in various places, from Orange County to the San Fernando Valley, over the past 3 1/2 years, each with different entertainment lineups tied to particular themes that she thinks up.

Past shows include such themes as “Alo-HA” and “Lu-WOW.” The one coming up June 29 is patriotic: “Red, White, Blue and You.”

Operating out of her Redondo Beach home, Barchichat finds the talent, the props, the prizes and the gifts for the swag bags, arranges the lunch menu, sets up the tables and chairs and decor and opens each show singing an energetic and joyful “Hello, Seniors” to the tune of “Hello, Dolly.” Comparing her singing voice to Ethel Merman’s would not be wrong.

Her husband Emile runs the audio-visual system, and she has employees to help put everything together.

There are a few rules: All the talent and employees have to be 50 or older; the show has to be good, the comedy clever and clean; and everyone must make the effort to ensure the customers are having a good time.

Nobody works harder than Barchichat at that. For the next show, she bubbles over about the fun things she has lined up, including a special themed cocktail called “American Flag.” It’s made with grenadine, blue curacao and creme de cacao, served in a martini glass ($7). She also has a piccolo player ready to serenade the arrivals, and tap dancers. She had been negotiating with Washington, D.C., to get members of the 300th U.S. Army Band to perform, but they were booked up.

“They said to try again in the future,” Barchichat said. “Now, that’s hopeful.”

Besides putting on the shows, Barchichat does a lot of marketing, seeking sponsors and audience members. For example, she goes to senior health fairs and meets with local Red Hat groups. She’s working to get baby boomers interested in bringing their parents to the shows. In fact, the oldest audience member celebrating a birthday at one of these shows gets a bouquet of flowers. A winner at a past show was 97 — and proud of it.

“The people make a big effort to come,” Barchichat. “They come in wheelchairs, in scooters, pulling their oxygen tanks along. They deserve to laugh and sing and to be inspired.”

Senior humor from Michael Preminger: “You know what they are selling at Costco lately? Caskets. Yes, really, caskets. But you have to buy 12.”

Barchichat has years of work experience in marketing and performing on stage. She insists on hiring professional comedians, dancers and musicians. Next week’s event features Dave Goodman, who has logged 3,000 performances in Las Vegas; Larry Omaha, seen on the Comedy Central network; and Cindy Burns, producer of “Orange County’s Funniest Housewives.”

A ticket to “Senior Comedy Afternoons” is not cheap; the upcoming show is $50 per person, which includes a meal and a lot of fun. And nobody has to drive to Vegas.

“I’m not getting rich,” Barchichat said. “Someone once asked me if we were a nonprofit. I said, ‘Kinda.’ ”

﻿

Laughs For Any Age

Laughs For All

BEST BETS In the Daily Breeze and the Long Beach Press Telegram and the OC Register Friday October 10,2014